24 Pickup
by AngelDormais
Summary: He lost the cards that scattered when they should have been shuffled, but what else can you expect from a Fool and his tricks? Done for the P4 Kink Meme.
1. Chapter 1

a/n:

anon wanted some souji hurt/comfort. i live to please. golden spoilers, bending canon a little in the future, abundant angst and gross icky fluff._  
_

* * *

_from: yosuke  
7:25 PM  
partner? u there?_

_from: yosuke  
7:56 PM  
dude i kno u probably don't wanna talk but just check in w/ me_

_from: yosuke  
7:57 PM  
ted's been trying to call u for an hour and i cant get him to stop til u respond_

_from: yosuke  
7:59 PM  
im really sorry he won't leave u alone, he keeps saying "somethings BEARY wrong, i can smell it" and dumb crap like that_

_from: yosuke  
8:00 PM  
hes not gonna stop, im really really sorry dude_

_from: yosuke  
8:47 PM  
hey man cmon, u ARE there, right?_

_from: yosuke  
8:54 PM  
partner?_

_from: yosuke  
9:12 PM  
hey look i got teddie to stop but im getting kinda worried too_

_from: yosuke  
9:29 PM  
im gonna call you, pick up plz_

_missed call: yosuke  
9:32 PM_

_from: yosuke  
9:33 PM  
why aren't you picking up?_

_from: yosuke  
9:33 PM  
don't prove ted right man, i'll never hear the end of it_

_missed call: yosuke  
9:51 PM  
new voicemail  
_

_from: yosuke  
10:03 PM  
look im coming over if u don't answer this in 10 mins_

_missed call: yosuke  
10:05 PM_

_from: yosuke  
10:07 PM  
damn it souji  
_

_from: yosuke  
also sent: chie, yukiko, kanji, &amp; 3 others  
10:23 PM  
guys, imm at souji's place. he isn't home but i had to use my spare key to get in so maybe he's just out. he left his phone here_

_from: yosuke  
also sent: chie, yukiko, kanji, &amp; 3 others  
10:28 PM  
nonoNO dont go crazy coming over here, if he comes back and we're all here we're gonna overwhelm him. im gonna stay and wait up. i think he tutors tonight so no one panic yet ok_

_from: yosuke  
also sent: chie, yukiko, kanji, &amp; 3 others  
10:39 PM  
no way kanji. it's frikkn cold out there. look, this is how he deals w/ stuff + he works late all the time. we're all dead tired. just go to sleep and i'll text if something happens. and no chie we can't call dojima-san, he'll have a heart attack. just wait for a bit, i'll stay here all night if i have to_

__from: yosuke  
also sent: chie, yukiko, kanji, &amp; 3 others  
10:47 PM  
yea naoto i know. i just wanna make sure he gets home ok. i'll tell him to call u all tomorrow first thing in the morning, so everyone get some rest  
__

_missed call: nakajima-san  
11:06 PM (3)  
new voicemail (3)  
_

_to: chie, yukiko, kanji, &amp; 3 others  
2:27 AM  
GUYS TIHS IS YOSUKE, I DOZED OFF ADN MY STUPID PHONE DIED. HE NEVER SHOWED UP TO HIS TUTORIGN JOB, IT'S BEEN 4 HOURS AND HE HANS'T COME HOME_


	2. Chapter 2

i.

When Nanako goes missing on the night of November 4th, so does Souji.

It happens so quickly that no one is quite sure when he slipped away. One moment they're gathered around the carcass of gnarled metal that could very well have been Dojima's grave, shivering bodies huddled together to stave off the cold and fear. In the next, Naoto and Souji are shoving their way into the back of an ambulance, their leader's face carefully blank as Naoto drags him by the wrist, shouting that he's a relative and she's on the case and they deserve, _demand_ to ride. She pushes him gently onto a booth and he does nothing but stare at the bloody man on the gurney before him.

They all stand there in what feels like a silence at the end of the world, watching their leader, waiting for guidance, a flicker of light, anything at all as paramedics flutter about and sirens wail in the distance. Souji looks back before they shut the doors and meets Yosuke's eyes. Yosuke mouths a promise, but no one is sure if Souji hears.

(Naoto follows his gaze to the shadowed T.V. resting in the flung-open trunk of Namatame's van; lingering even as the cold metal doors slam shut. She never does end up telling them all that he was long gone by then.)

–

ii.

He shows up at school every single day. His friends wait for him at the gate, words of comfort and determination hot in their chests, but their resolve shatters each time he passes through with a white-knuckled grip on his suitcase and endless miles of gray behind his eyes.

Souji acts normal, and no one knows what to do about that, so they act normal, too. Chie takes him out for beef bowls, tries to pump him up for the next rainy day challenge. Naoto invites him to go over a few cold cases with her just to busy his mind. And even Teddie buys him more topsicles than he could ever possibly eat with a wallet that looks suspiciously like Yosuke's, but the thing is, Yosuke never says a damn thing about it.

No one says a damn thing about anything, really. Souji smiles and speaks in his soft, droning tone and somehow tolerates the petty complaints they keep slipping up with, but the distance in his eyes is a growing cloud, each mark on the calendar pulling a little more fog into his eyes.

–

iii.

One week in, a student with glasses makes a snide remark as he passes by in the hall: "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're having a rough time, Seta. I will get the top score next time."

Souji's mouth quirks in a half-smile as he opens it to answer, but he doesn't get the chance. Kanji rushes forward with a snarl, bunches his fist in the student's collar, and slams him into the wall hard enough to knock his glasses off of his face and onto the floor.

"You got a problem with Senpai, you little asshole?! Where the hell are you gettin' off, talkin' to him like that?!" Kanji roars, his face turning red. " You got _any idea_ the shit he's dealin' with right now?!"

Kanji's victim whimpers beneath his assault, legs kicking in the air and thin fingers clawing feebly at his arm. Yosuke steps forward and calms him with a single touch on the shoulder, but not before Kanji whips around and hisses at him in frustration. Something passes between the two persona-users that feels a lot like _understanding_-a beat, then Kanji lets the guy fall onto his ass with a disgusted grunt.

The student stumbles away with wide, frightened eyes, out of breath as he clambers to his feet. Souji leans down and picks up his cracked glasses.

"Sorry," he says quietly, extending his hand. "Here. I'll pay for your new ones."

His self-proclaimed rival snatches them and takes off, muttering a low string of curse words. Souji stands slowly, staring at his retreating back. Then he turns on his heel and orders a quiet, "Let's go. We're going in today."

Kanji can't meet his eyes the whole trip through the T.V., but it doesn't make a difference either way. He knows by now what he will (or rather, won't,) find there.


End file.
